


I’m Here, You’re Here.  Let’s Start Healing.

by YingHuaCake



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Female Player, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I memorized their favorite foods for this, Kisses, MC is female, Magic, Otome Game Retelling, Overblot, Reverse Harem, Spoilers, Spoilers for Main Story, What are Scheduled Updates? We don’t have those here., happiness, i don’t know what i’m doing, read the tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:13:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24975130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YingHuaCake/pseuds/YingHuaCake
Summary: Yuu found herself in a rather, peculiar situation.  She was a student of Night Raven College, an academy that teaches magicians.  There’s three problems here— she doesn’t have magic, her home is nowhere in this world, and this school was an all-boys institution.She was a girl, though that proved to be the least of her problems.Scratch the “only three” problems deal.There were a plethora of problems— but nothing that couldn’t be solved with some communication and food.Once again, if you haven’t read the tags, spoilers for Twisted Wonderland’s main story.
Relationships: Yuu/Everyone (Twisted Wonderland)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 119





	1. Arrived

_ Ah, my dear beloved, _

_ A lovely and noble flower of evil, _

_ Truly, you are the most beautiful of them all, _

_ Mirror, mirror on the wall, _

_ Who is the… _

_ Those who are guided by the dark mirror, _

_ As long as your heart desires,  _

_ Take the hand that appears in the mirror.  _

_ For me, for them, for you,  _

_ We are all running out of time.  _

_ No matter what,  _

_ Do not let go of my hand. _

**Welcome to the Villains’ World**

～～～～～～～

Darkness remained even when she opened her eyes. It was terribly dark and cramp— like she was in a coffin. She jolted when something started to rattle from above her, a sense of panic flooded her system. 

_ What was going on? What is that noise? _

“Crap, people are coming. I gotta get a uniform before..,” a muffled voice came from outside the box— coffin? “Grrr! The lid is too heavy! Time for… my secret move! Funyaaa~~~~ There!”

“Gya—?!?!” A noise escaped her when she saw blue flames. 

“Well now, time to get…. _ Gyaaaaa— _ !!!! Why are you awake?!” She blankly stared at the cat-raccoon dog thing that apparently opened whatever she was sitting in, which was evidently a coffin. 

She didn’t know what should’ve surprised her more— the room with floating coffins or the talking animal— so she just continued to stare. 

“Don’t ignore me!!” The monster kept talking to her. “Hurry up and gimme those clothes!! Otherwise...I’ll roast ya!”

She finally noticed her clothes were changed into a set of black and purple robes with golden embroidery. She touched the excess fabric around her neck and realized it was a hood. She raised one eyebrow as her attention returned to the monster feline. 

“I don’t think these clothes would fit you, little one.”

“Little one?! I’m not ‘little one!’ I am the Great Grim!!”

While the creature— Grim— was throwing a temper tantrum, she took the chance to run away, running blindly until she found herself inside a library. 

“Where am I…?” She whispered, her anxiety skyrocketing. 

Blue flames erupted around her for a moment,and Grim appeared before her once more.

“Did you really think you’d get away from my nose? Dumb human! If you don’t wanna get roasted, you better hand over——Fugya—?! That hurt! What’s with this cord?!” 

“This is no mere cord! It is a whip of love!” A man with a top hat came into the room. The upper half of his face was concealed by a mask that resembled a raven’s beak. He turned his attention to her, “Ah, found you at last. Are you one of the new students? You shouldn’t do things like that; leaving the Gate on your own! Not only that, your familiar is untamed, which has broken a number of the school’s rules.”

His voice grew stern and his golden eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms against his chest. 

“Let me go!! I’m not their freaking familiar!!” Grim struggled. 

“Yes, yes, that’s what all of the rebellious ones say. Just quiet down for a moment,” the man was practically rolling his eyes at Grim’s antics. He did something to make the monster shut up— perhaps a silencing spell? 

Either way, she wasn’t given a chance to speak up, as the man continued on, “My goodness, it’s unprecedented for a new student to leave the Gate on their own. Haa...Just how impatient can you be? Now, now, the entrance ceremony is already well underway. Let’s head over to the Hall of Mirrors.”

“.....Gate?”

“It’s the room you woke up in with all of the doors. All students who wish to attend this academy must pass through one of those doors to arrive here. Normally, students wake up only after the foot is opened with a special key but…,” the man continued to explain. 

“The fire must’ve blown the cover off…,” she muttered as she looked at the creature. 

“So in the end the culprit appears to be this familiar,” the man frowned. “If you’re going to bring it with you, you have to take responsibility and properly take care of it…. Oh..! Now it isn’t the time to be long winded. The entrance ceremony will end soon, so let’s hurry along.”

“Um, I’m sorry but, who are you..?” 

“Oh? You’re still a bit dazed? It appears that the teleportation magic has left you disoriented and messed with your memories. Well, it’s alright— it happens quite often. I shall provide you an explanation while we make our way to the Hall of Mirrors, for I am gracious.”

As they walked through the courtyard, the man started to inform her, “This is Night Raven College. Those magicians blessed with a unique aptitude for magic from all over the world gather here at the most prestigious magical academy in Twisted Wonderland. I am Dire Crowley, the Headmaster that has been appointed to take care of this academy by the board chairman.”

“Magician…?”

“Only those magicians seen as worthy by the Dark Mirror can attend this school. Chosen ones use the Gate and are summoned here from around the world.”

The one thing she knew was that  _ she did not belong here _ . 

“An Ebony Carriage carrying a 「Gate」should have gone to pick you up,” Dire Crowley continued on. 

“I think I remember going through a dark forest…”

“The Ebony Carriage is what brings those chosen by the Dark Mirror to the institution. They are special carriages that carry the doors to the academy. It was decided long ago by the market that carriages were to be used to welcome people, wasn’t it?”

“So the carriage just brought me here on its own?!” 

“Mmmghmmmm!” Grim started to struggle again. 

“Come— let us go to the entrance ceremony.”

She had a terrible feeling twisting in her gut. She pulled the hood of her robes over her head so it would cover a portion of her face. 

～～～～～～～

“Not at all!” Dire Crowley shouted as he threw the doors open. 

“Ah, he’s back,” A shorter male with crimson hair stated as the Headmaster walked into the hall. 

“Honestly, I cannot believe you all. We were missing one new student so I went to find them,” Crowley looked over to her. “You are the only one yet to be assigned to a dormitory. I shall watch over the raccoon dog so please step in front of the Dark Mirror.”

Grim made another muffled noise, though no one paid much attention to him. 

Though she couldn’t see everyone’s faces, she could tell that the students were mostly male— if not all male. That only made her discomfort more apparent. She  _ really _ didn’t belong here, with or without magic.

She hesitantly walked up to stand in front of the Dark Mirror. 

A face appeared in the mirror, and it took her everything to not jolt. 

“State thy name,” the Dark Mirror ordered. 

“It’s Yuu.”

“Yuu….the shape of thy soul is…,” The Dark Mirror paused and made some faces before returning to its stern demeanor. “ _ I do not know _ .” 

“Come again?” Crowley was startled. 

“I sense not a single spark of magic from this one— the color, the shape, there is nothing. Therefore, they are not suited for any dormitory.” 

A storm of whispers began, Yuu bit her lip and clenched her fists in response. This was unnerving, this was  _ scary. _

“An Ebony Carriage would never go to someone who cannot use magic! Within this century, there has not been a single mistake during the student selection! So why in the world…,” Crowley became thoughtful, setting a finger on his chin.

“Mghm..! Pah..!” Grim was freed from whatever kept him gagged. “Then I’ll take their place!” He twisted himself out of Crowley’s grip. 

“Ah...Stop right there! That raccoon dog!”

“Unlike that dumb human, I can use magic! Let me enroll instead! If you need proof then I’ll show you right now!”

“Everyone, get down!” The same red haired figure from before shouted, and everyone did as they were told. 

“Nnnnyaaa!” Grim blew out blue fire that spread across the floor. 

“Uwah! Hot!!! My butt’s on fire!!” A male wearing a turban started to scream as he tried to put out the fire. 

“At this rate the school will become a sea of fire! Somebody catch that raccoon dog!” Crowley commanded. 

“Tch, suck ups,” the male with lion ears clicked his tongue in annoyance. 

“Hmm~? Aren’t you good at hunting? Does that look like a nice, plump snack?” The extremely beautiful man teased. 

“Why me? Do it yourself.” 

“Crowley-sensei, please leave it to me!” A man with glasses volunteered. “I’m sure the others couldn’t stomach the thought of harassing the poor creature, so I will take it upon myself.”

A floating tablet snickered, “As expected of Azul— always trying to earn brownie points.”

“Hey..! Could someone help me put out the fire on my butt already?!” The person with the turban tried to catch someone’s attention. 

“Are any of you listening?!” Crowley was becoming upset. 

“Hah...if it’s just catching some stupid raccoon dog, can’t you do it yourself, Teach?” The lion eared man scoffed.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not a raccoon dog?!” Grim hissed. “I, the Great Grim, will become the greatest magician ever!” 

“What a rather high-spirited small animal. Would you help me, Riddle?” The glasses guy asked the redhead. 

“I can’t overlook those who break rules. Let’s hurry and get this over with,” the redhead, Riddle, agreed. 

It took a bit of time, but the two managed to capture Grim, with the help of some magic. 

“Off with your head!” Riddle casted a spell. 

A collar appeared around Grim’s neck, “Funya..! What is this?!”

“Number 23 of the Laws of the Queen of Hearts states that ‘One shall never bring a cat to a festival.’ Since you are a cat, that means you’ve broken the rules. I shall have you leave at once,” Riddle recited a rule. 

“I’m not a cat either…!!!!” Grim argued. “I’ll burn this collar right up and...Eh? I can’t use my fire!”

“Hmph,” Riddle had a rather victorious smile on his lips. “You won’t be able to use any magic until I remove the collar, now you’re just an ordinary cat.”

“W-what?! I’m...I’m not some pet!”

Riddle’s expression turned stern, “Don't worry, as if I’d keep a pet like you. Well, I’ll take it off when you get thrown out.”

“Ah~ as wonderful as always! Any and all magic can be sealed by your Unique Magic, Riddle,” Azul praised before lowering his voice, “I want it...I mean, I would never want it to be casted on me.”

“You must do something about this! It’s your familiar!” Crowley faced you, his golden eyes narrowed. “Discipline it properly...”

Yuu shook her head, “It’s not mine!” 

“Eh? It’s not yours?”

“I’ve never seen it before.”

“Anyways...let’s get it out of the school,” Crowley looked at Grim before smiling rather wickedly. “We won’t turn you into stew, for I am gracious. Someone help, please.”

“Gyaaa—! Let me go!!!” Grim struggled as a few people started dragging him out. “I’m, I’m going to, I’m going to become the greatest magician!!!”

The doors to the hall slammed shut. 

“It’s just a little...pitiful,” Yuu murmured under her breath. 

“We had a bit of trouble along the way but this brings the entrance ceremony to a close,” Crowley changed the topic. “Dormitory Leaders, please show the new students back to the dormitories. Mm? Now that I think about it, I don’t see Diasmonia’s Leader, Draconia-kun, anywhere..” 

“That’s nothing unusual, is it?” The lion eared man huffed half heartedly. 

“What? Did nobody tell him about the ceremony?” Asked the man wearing the turban. 

The beautiful gentleman retorted, “If you’re going to complain, you should’ve done it yourself.”

“Hmm...but I don’t really know anything about that guy…” 

The storm of whispers began once again, though now they were talking about an individual named Malleus Draconia instead of the magicless individual named Yuu. 

“Oh, so I was right,” a bishonen who spoke in a rather old manner popped out of nowhere. “I thought he might’ve come but it seems that Malleus really didn’t. It seems that the invitation ‘never arrived’ again.”

“My deepest apologies,” Azul said in a rather exaggerated tone. “I promise we didn’t intend to exclude you.”

“His aura makes it a bit difficult to approach him,” Riddle muttered.

“It is fine. Those who are a part of the Diasomnia Dormitory can come with me,” the bishounen ushered. “...I hope this doesn’t upset him..”

Yuu watched everyone head off to their dorms, and soon, she was alone with Crowley. 

“I’m terribly sorry about this but, Yuu-san,” Crowley began, and Yuu flinched. “We must have you leave the school. Those without any talent for magic cannot be allowed to attend class here. There is no need to worry, the Dark Mirror will send you directly back from where you came. Now, enter the Gate, and picture your home clearly in your mind..”

Yuu did as she was told, as there was nothing else she could really do. 

“Ha….” She let out a deep breath.

“Oh Dark Mirror! Guide this one back to the place where they belong!”

The mirror did not react. 

Crowley cleared his throat, “Once more. Oh Dark Mirror! Guide this—.”

“It is nowhere,” the mirror spoke.

“Eh?”

“The place they belong to is nowhere in this world. It does not exist.”

“What did you say? That is unbelievable! Well— the unbelievable has been an ongoing theme today.”

“...”

“This is the first time it’s ever happened since I became dean, what should I…,” Crowley looked over at Yuu again. “Where exactly did you come from?”

“Um…,” Yuu looked away. “I live in a country named Japan.” 

“Hmm...I’ve never heard of that place before. I have a general grasp of where all of the students come from but I’ve never heard of that name before. Let’s go do some research in the library.”

Yuu nodded her head. 

～～～～～～～

When they arrived at the library, Crowley immediately went to the maps and pulled a majority of them out. He scanned all of them— both modern and historic— only to find nothing about a country named Japan. 

So the next thing he did was question if Yuu was lying to him. She feverishly shook her head, “I don’t have a reason to lie to you, Crowley-san.”

Valid. Compared to that raccoon dog, she had a much brighter mind.

“Hmm, then looking at all of this, you may have somehow been brought here from another planet..,” Crowley brought up another suggestion. “There’s a possibility you’re from another world!”

“Another world?” 

“When you came here, did you have anything on you? Any form of identification such as a license or a name on a shoe..? Though you appear to be empty handed.”

Yuu took the time to check her clothing, but there wasn’t anything like a phone or a wallet. 

“I don’t have my phone or my wallet,” you informed the Headmaster. 

“This is concerning..,” Crowley muttered. “I can’t just let someone who can’t use magic to stay at this academy. However, as an educator, I cannot just toss a penniless teenager out on the street with no form of communication, for I am gracious.”

Once again, that wicked smile appeared on his face. 

“Hmm….That’s right! There is an unused building on campus that was once used as a dormitory, so if you clean it up a bit, you should be able to sleep there. For the time being, I shall allow you to stay there! During that time, I will look for a way for you to return home. Aah~ My graciousness is limitless! I am certainly a model for all educators!”

Yuu decided it would be best to get used to the peculiarity of the place, as she had an inkling that she would be here for quite some time. 

“We had better be on our way and head to the dormitory. It might be a bit old, but there’s a certain charm to it,” Crowley assured. 

“Um,” Yuu decided that it was either now or never. 

“Yes?” He looked at the younger one.

“Would this be a good time to mention that I’m  _ female… _ ?” 


	2. Where’s Lady Luck?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for the Kudos! ^^ I hope you’ll enjoy this chapter. 💕

Crowley decided to think about the new piece of information Yuu threw onto him after they went to Ramshackle Dorm— the unused building he was talking about. 

It had an appearance of a haunted house, with boarded windows and an eerie fence that surrounds the perimeter. The tree that stood near the gates to the dormitory had a large cobweb on it— much to Yuu’s ire.

“That is quite a bit of charm..,” She forced out an awkward laugh. 

“Right~?” Crowley was pleased with Yuu’s statement and they walked up to the door. “Please come inside.”

In a gentlemanly fashion, the Headmaster opened the door for Yuu, who hesitantly took a step inside. She waited for Crowley so she could follow his lead, as this was uncharted territory for her. They were in the dormitory’s lounge area. 

Dust and cobwebs were everywhere, the room was dark and dreary with some of the paintings on the floor and furniture flipped. Yuu shuttered at the mess the building was in. 

“Staying here will at least keep you out of the rain,” Crowley promised. “I will go back and do some more research— along with providing you with proper essentials during your stay. Make yourself at home, Yuu-san. Though your gender isn’t exactly a concern outside of the fact that this is an all-male institution, you have no magic so it is dangerous to wander around the school! Goodbye now!”

He left without another word. 

“There’s so much dust that it’s like snow…,” Yuu laughed satirically. “I will need to clean just to sit down…”

Her concern was _how_ she was going to clean. She wasn’t given any cleaning supplies and she highly doubted there would be any form of disinfectant available, and if there was, it was probably expired and therefore useless. She saw a light switch and flicked it on— thankfully the electricity was working. 

She found some rags and a broom and started to clean the lounge as best as she could. 

～～～～～～～

The sound of rain hitting the windows and roof danced into her ears. She looked out the window, “Ah, it’s raining…”

“Gyaa! It’s really coming down!” Yuu heard a familiar voice squeal. She turned around and saw that it was indeed Grim. The monster saw her shocked expression and snickered, “Gyahaha! You got a stupid loook on your face, like a spider that’s being attacked by a water gun! Someone like me would have no trouble sneaking back into this school! If you think getting thrown out is gonna make me give up, you’re wrong!”

Yuu calmed down and controlled her expression before asking, “Why do you want to enroll into this school?” 

“That’s simple!” Grim exclaimed as though the young girl should know. “I’m a genius who is destined to be a great magician! I’ve been waiting for the Ebony Carriage to come pick me up, but...but...Hmph! The Dark Mirror just doesn’t have an eye for this! So that’s why I came here on my own. Not letting me into this school would be a loss for the world, but humans just don’t get it.”

Droplets of water landed in Grim’s head. 

“Nya! So cold—! The roof is leaking!” More water dropped down onto his head. “It keeps coming!! My adorable ear fire is gonna go out at this rate!” 

Yuu couldn’t see where the leaks were on the ceiling, “Hm...Where are the leaks?”

“These leaks can be fixed right up with magic! Wait, you can’t use magic, right? Pfft— you’re useless!” 

Yuu just stared at Grim with a dead panned expression. 

“Then you should help me,” Yuu frowned. 

“Huh? Help you? Don’t wanna! I’m just a regular monster staying here to stay away from the rain! You better get a can of tuna ready before you want me to help you!”

Yuu sighed and decided to leave Grim alone— clearly he wasn’t going to do anything. She decided to find anything to catch the water, so the wood floors and furniture wouldn’t get ruined. It would be more troublesome to clean with water damage. 

She felt her skin crawl as she stepped into the hallway, her discomfort returning tenfold. She heard creepy laughter, and she froze in fear.

“We haven’t had a guest in so long…”

“How exciting~~!” 

Three ghosts appeared. The one who stood in the middle started to laugh, sending even more fear down Yuu’s spine.

“Uwah!” She screamed.

“What’s with the ruckus…,” Her scream has Grim walking into the hallway. “AAH! G-g-ghosts..!!!”

“The people living here got scared of us and left,” the ghost on the farthest left explained.

“We’ve been looking for new ghost comrades for a realllly long time! Would you like to join?!” The ghost in the middle questioned.

“Nope, it is not in my slightest interest to join you at the moment,” Yuu responded honestly. She looked over to see a frightened Grim.

He let out a small whimper before saying, “The Great Magician Grim isn’t scared of some ghosts..!!” He made a determined expression and started blowing out fire.

“Where were you aiming~?” The ghost on the left taunted. 

“Over here, over here! Heehehehehe!!!” They continued to taunt Grim..

“Grr!! Stop disappearing!!” Grim growled, frustrated.

Yuu looked at Grim again and noticed that he kept closing his eyes when he was attacking the ghosts. 

“You’ll burn down the place like this,” Blue flames continued to flash in her vision. “Stop closing your eyes!”

“Shut up!! You can’t order me around!” Grim hissed.

“I’ll give you a can of tuna or make you something to eat!” Yuu quickly thought of a bribe— this wasn’t the time to argue with the monster. If they wanted any chance against these prankster ghosts, they needed Grim’s magic. 

She successfully bribed the magic creature. Yuu provided Grim with some minor assistance and within a few minutes, there were no more ghosts and no fire. 

“Eh? We won?” Grim was surprised when everything was over. 

“That was amazing! Thank you, Grim,” Yuu praised him as you picked him up and patted his head, carefully so that you wouldn’t touch his ear fire. She swept her long, luscious hair back to keep it from catching on fire as well.

Crowley entered the dormitory just as they finished chasing out the ghosts with dinner in his hand. When he caught sight of Grim, who surprisingly didn’t jump out of Yuu’s arm, he frowned and tried to kick him out once more. After an explanation,, a demonstration on how they got rid of the ghosts, and some persuasion, Crowley allowed Grim to stay with Yuu in the dormitory for free. In order to be able to get their other necessities, they would have to work maintenance and other odd jobs, which also provides them special permission to stay on campus and to use the library for research and studying. 

Grim grumbled and complained, though he immediately agreed after Crowley mentioned kicking him out again, while Yuu agreed without any resistance. 

Crowley handed her the meal he brought over for her along with a necklace. 

“There are students with feminine features, but it doesn’t hurt to have some caution. The magic casted on the necklace will prevent anyone from figuring out that you’re female. It would be best to also make some physical alterations, in case the magic stops working,” Crowley explained. “A safety precaution, for I am gracious.”

“Thank you, Headmaster,” Yuu smiled as she accepted the food and the necklace. Crowley left soon after bidding them goodnight. 

Yuu ate the meal first, sharing a portion with Grim, before she continued on with her cleaning. She cleaned the kitchenette, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a small part of the hallway. Doing chores in robes with long sleeves was incredibly difficult, but she somehow managed. 

She took off the outer robes, leaving herself in a pair of black pants and a black shirt before she fell asleep on the bed, both mentally and physically exhausted. 

～～～～～～～

Much to the pair’s dismay, the ghosts returned, waking them up with the reminder that they had to start cleaning the campus. It was a terrible way to wake up, and Yuu felt terrible, but she got up anyways. 

“Good morning. Did you two sleep well?” Crowley entered the room after he received permission. 

“I was sleeping on the bed and then fell off! Just how long have you neglected this place? I even got woken up by ghosts, this the worst!” Grim complained.

“I slept fine,” Yuu winced as she stretched, her muscles aching for the obsessive scrubbing and sweeping she had done. 

“Despite suddenly getting transported to another world, you managed to get a good night’s rest, wonderful!” Crowley accepted Yuu’s lie. “I came to speak to you about your job. You can get ready for the day first, I’ve brought you some clothing to change into.”

The shower was magically hot, much to Yuu’s relief. Crowley, with his gracious heart, provided her with some soap and shampoo, along with a towel, and some toothpaste and a toothbrush. She got ready as quickly as she could before she headed down to the lounge where Crowley was waiting. 

It was a brief conversation and Crowley left after telling them they could eat lunch in the school’s cafeteria. 

“Tch… I’m not gonna do any cleaning,” Grim pouted. “I just wanna go to class and use a bunch of spells…”

“We can go and do some studying at the library after we’re done, alright?” Yuu promised. She put on the necklace that Crowley gave her before she pulled her hair up into a ponytail. She could only hope the day would go peacefully.

_Of course not._

Yuu sighed in defeat. Grim got into a fight with a first year and caused a lot of trouble by charring the statue of the Queen of Hearts. The first year student— Ace Trappola— had “kindly” explained the seven statues that lined both sides of Main Street on campus, the area they were to clean, before making fun of Grim for not knowing about the Great Seven. Yuu had tried to stop the two of them, but it wasn’t enough and they ended up in a deeper ditch. 

_Lady Luck was not on her side today._

It got worse after Ace tried to skip the punishment of cleaning a hundred windows— a rather light punishment for ruining a statue of a prominent figure. They met a student named Deuce Spade, who managed to get Ace to go and clean the windows, but he only caused more problems when he broke _a magical_ _chandelier_. In order to avoid expulsion, they had to get a magic crystal from the Drawfs’ Mine, which could possibly repair the chandelier. 

“Aaahhh~~ Why did it turn into something like this? Today is really not my day,” Ace groaned.

Yuu kept her face neutral, though she believed that her day was _worse_. 

“Now isn’t the time for mumbling! Let’s go!” Deuce was rather fired up about the whole ordeal, but it was a chance for redemption. “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Guide us to the Drawfs’ Mine!” 

They all stepped into the Dark Mirror. 

～～～～～～～

“So this is the Drawfs’ Mine. It used to prosperous due to magic crystal mining, but..,” Deuce whispered. 

The forest they landed in was dark and dreary, yet there was a touch of familiarity in Yuu’s heart, as though she had seen this scenery before. 

“Uughh...it feels like something could jump out at anytime,” Grim whimpered.

“Oh, there’s a house over there! Let’s go ask them about the mine,” Ace pointed at the cottage that was just a small distance away. 

Deuce knocked on the door before opening it, “Good evening— Ah, I guess it’s abandoned. It’s really messy in here.”

Cobwebs, dust, and a smell that resembled old books. Yuu felt uncomfortable disturbing the home, but the boys decided to do a little exploring. 

“Aren’t the chairs and tables on the small side? Are they for kids?” Ace inspected the furniture.

_No, they’re for the dwarves._

A voice in Yuu’s mind responded to Ace’s question. 

After a few minutes, they decided to head over to the mine since there was nothing in the cottage that would be useful. 

“We’re gunna go in there? It’s pitch black,” Grim’s fear returned. 

_Well, if you didn’t destroy the chandelier, we wouldn’t have had to do this._

“Are you scared? Lame—,” Ace mocked.

“Haah?!?! I’m not scared at all!” Grim retorted sharply, though the small tremble in his voice ruined it. “I’m going to take the lead! You guys, follow me!”

_Oh dear._


	3. Teamwork Will Bring Good Results

With the help of some magic, they managed to light the cave just enough to see their surroundings. Wooden supports covered the cave walls and went across the ceiling, and there was a single railway. Stones were piled up in areas and the walls of the cave had various gems embedded in it. 

“Wait!” Deuce’s voice stopped everyone in their tracks. 

“What?” Ace groaned. 

“There’s something..,” Deuce elaborated, earning a quick shriek of fear from Grim. Yuu darted her eyes around the cave, and spotted what Deuce had seen.

Ghosts.  _ More ghosts. _

Yuu finally accepted the fact that ghosts were going to be a part of her life now. A common occurrence she won’t be able to avoid. 

“It’s our first visitors in a decade!” One of the ghosts cackled. 

“Come, make yourselves at home! Forever!” The other one snickered.

They quickly dealt with the ghosts, not wishing to spend more time in the cave than they had to, though they only did it after the trio bickered for a bit.

“Both of you! Do you even understand what situation we’re in?! We’re all going to get expelled if we don’t bring back a magic crystal by tomorrow morning!” Deuce tried to end the argument, though it only riled Ace up more. 

“Settle down—,” Yuu stopped mid-sentence when she heard something besides the trio’s voices. “....I think I heard a voice..”

The sound became more and more clear. Something was speaking, albeit brokenly. 

“W-what, what is this voice?” Ace asked after the rest of them could hear what Yuu was talking about. 

“The...ma….stone...is...mine,” the voice grew louder, and closer. 

“The Stone…. _ is…MINEEEE _ !!!!!!” A monster wearing a red shirt and brown cap appeared before them, it’s glass-like head had black goo oozing out of it. It’s hands were malformed and dark, as though the were also covered in that black tar-like substance. It held an oil lamp with a red flame in its right hand. 

“IT'S HERE!!” The boys screamed.

“What is that dangerous looking thing?!” Deuce shouted, panic causing his body to tense up. 

“Crowley didn’t say anything about that thing!!!” Grim shrieked. “Let’s get out of here!!!”

“It’s so gross! But it mentioned something about a stone, didn’t it?!” Ace brought up as he took a step back.

The faceless monster continued to mutter, “Ston…e...won’t...give..!!”

“So there are still magic crystals left!” Deuce looked a little relieved. 

“Nope, nope, nope! I’m a genius but I can’t beat that thing!” Grim was near tears at this point, he was so shaken up.

“But we’ll get expelled without it..! I’m going!” Deuce announced.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Even Ace didn’t bother to tease Deuce. 

“It’s too dangerous—!” Yuu grabbed onto Deuce’s shoulder. 

“I can’t get expelled!” Deuce pulled Yuu’s hand off of him.

“Leave...LEAVE!” The nameless monster screamed.

Deuce got pushed back by the monster.

“Stand back! I’ll deal with it!” Ace jumped in and used his magic, but it didn’t have much of an effect on the monster. All it did was retaliate, landing a hit that sent Ace tumbling back before it approached Grim. 

“Funyaaa!! Stay away!!” Grim shrieked before spitting out his azure flames. “It didn’t do anything!”

Something sparkled in Yuu’s vision, “Did something just sparkle?”

Ace spotted the object, “Behind the monster! At the end of the tunnel…”

“Is it the magic crystal?” Deuce tried to look as well. The monster grew furious after Deuce mentioned the magic crystal again. It lunged at them again, already in rampage mode.

“We have to escape!” Yuu grabbed Grim and carried him while she ran out of the cave, the two boys following her closely behind. 

They ran until they were where the Dark Mirror had dropped them off.

～～～～～～～

“Is this far enough?” Grim asked as he peered over Yuu’s shoulder. 

“Ooow… What was that? No one said anything about it!” Ace rubbed his shoulder. 

“It didn’t seem like a normal ghost,” Deuce stated the obvious. 

“Let’s just give up and go home. I’d rather get expelled than fight that thing.”

“What?! Don’t screw with me! I’d rather die than face expulsion! There’s a magic crystal right in front of us and you’d rather go home?!”

Yuu sighed, they had completely different mindsets. Seeing that Grim wasn’t refusing, she kept him against her chest, hugging him closely. 

“Ha. You talk big for someone who can’t use magic very well. Go by yourself if you really want to— I’m done,” Ace scoffed.

“Oh, is that so—?!” Deuce’s demeanor made a one-eighty. “Then stay right there like a spineless coward!”

“Haaah? Coward? Who exactly are you talking about?!” Ace mocked. 

“D-Deuce, did your character change just a bit..?” Grim was taken aback by the delinquent persona that Deuce had on now. 

Deuce became a bit flustered and apologized, “My bad, I lost my composure.”

“What to do…,” Yuu thought aloud as she started absentmindedly patting Grim’s head. “Mm, will magic help?”

“If you can’t properly imagine something, magic won’t be very useful,” Deuce replied earnestly. “Complicated or larger-scaled magic requires a lot of training to perform them properly.”

“That’s why magic schools exist,” Ace informed. “You need a lot of practice in order to use magic as you wish. You’ll screw up if you lose your cool, bluntly speaking.”

Yuu hummed, “I’m assuming you can instinctually use what you’re good at.”

She earned a nod from Ace.

“Anyways, I’m going back. I’ll figure out a way to beat that thing and come back with a magic crystal,” Deuce declared.

Yuu saw Ace’s expression and spoke up before he could, “Don’t argue, you two.” She had an idea of what they were going to say, “Neither of you could do anything back there.”

“What should we do then..?” Deuce asked. 

“We can come up with a proper strategy.”

“Strategy? As in we have to get along and work together?” Ace’s mocking time returned, though it deflated as soon as he saw the serious expression painted on Yuu’s face. “You really have no problem saying such lame things with a serious face, do you?”

A rhetorical question. 

“Of course, you don’t have to, but that means your expulsion is guaranteed,” Yuu provided them with the other available option. 

“It would be lamer to get expelled on the first day of school….,” Grim looked down at the ground. The two boys looked away. 

“Indeed, that wouldn’t be very cool,” Yuu agreed as she started stretching Grim’s chin. 

“Aaah! Fine, we just have to get this done and over with, right?” Ace gave in. “So— what’s your plan?” 

Yuu smiled, “So..” 

～～～～～～～

A fire tornado, a half a dozen of cauldrons, and one final boss-esk fight later, they managed to obtain the magic crystal they saw earlier. Fear and anxiety had coursed through their systems during the whole ordeal, but they made it out safely. 

Yuu was practically grinning as she watched the trio celebrate their victory, “Perhaps this is the, ‘adversity brings people together’ deal?”

Ace, Deuce, and Grim immediately denied it, using remarks that were very much  _ them _ . It only made Yuu chuckle.

“I hate to admit it, but we managed to win because of your strategy,” Ace finally spoke up after a few moments of silence.

“That’s true. We managed to obtain the magic crystal due to your level headed instructions. We can prevent our expulsion, I’m so glad…,” Deuce sighed in relief. 

“It’s thanks to your teamwork— I’m glad everyone is alright,” Yuu walked over to Ace and hugged him before moving on to Deuce and doing the same thing. 

“Wha—,” they were both flustered at the gesture. 

“L-Let’s hurry up and go home. We’re all battered and worn out,” Ace quickly concluded their small celebration. 

“I’m so hungry after using that much magic,” Grim grumbled. He then spotted something on the ground, “Hm? What’s this?”

What he found was a black crystal. It resembled the magic crystal they just obtained, but it felt different. Deuce mumbled something but Yuu wasn’t paying much attention. She was concerned with what Grim was going to do next. 

The feline creature sniffed the crystal, “This thing smells really good.”

“No way!” Ace exclaimed. 

“This must be some candy that the monster was hiding! Oooh it looks so good!! I can’t hold back!”

Yuu tried to stop Grim from eating the black crystal, but something prevented her from moving her body. Her throat refused to listen to her, not letting her say anything to stop Grim as he consumed the black crystal. 

Grim made a strangled noise, but the panic was immediately dissipated when he started to prance around and shout about how delicious it was. He started describing the flavor of the stone, comparing it to a field of flowers blooming inside his mouth. Only after that, was the control over her body returned to Yuu. 

Ace gagged, “Monsters really have different palates from us.”

“Aside from that...most people wouldn’t just put a mysterious object in their mouth,” Deuce shook his head. No one seemed to notice what had happened to Yuu. 

They decided to go to the Headmaster after conversing for a few more minutes. Yuu decided not to bring up what had happened while the two boys were distracted with Grim and his unique eating habits.

～～～～～～～

Crowley was genuinely surprised that they had actually gone to the Drawfs’ Mine and obtained a magic crystal. During the time they had been struggling and arguing, he had been filling out their expulsion documents. He was genuinely impressed that they managed to get a magic crystal. 

Amidst his anger, Grim revealed the fact that there had been a monster in the cave, to which Ace elaborated on after they went to the Dean’s office. Even after explaining what had happened, the boys still refused to accept the fact that they had worked together in defeating the monster, though the attempt was halfhearted.

Then, Crowley started sobbing rather dramatically. 

“What’s with this guy?! Why is an adult bursting into tears?!” Grim was confused at Crowley’s sudden outburst. 

“During all of the years I’ve been headmaster,” Crowley started. “I can’t believe that there would be a day where students from Night Raven College would go hand in hand to face and defeat their enemy!”

“What—?! I didn’t hold this guy’s hand!” Deuce denied. 

“Gross, I would never do that! But headmaster, just how old are you?” Ace questioned.

“I am currently overwhelmed with emotion!” Crowley ignored Ace. “This incident confirms it. Yuu-kun, without a doubt, you have talent as a beast tamer!”

“Excuse me?!” 

“Students at Night Raven College are budding wizards summoned here by the Dark Mirror. However, they are of a superior class that makes them prideful and egotistical individuals that do not contain the slightly inkling of desire to work with others, making them self-centered.”

“You’re...not saying anything positive,” Grim deadpanned. 

“You can not use magic,” Crowley continued. “Maybe exactly because you can’t use magic, you’re able to give instructions to wizards and get them to cooperate with one another. This mediocrity might be what this school needs!”

“He’s not saying anything nice?!” Ace repeated Grim’s statement from before. 

“I have no doubt that your existence will be essential for the future of this institution, or that’s what my educator senses are saying. Along with rescinding your expulsion, Trappola, Spade, I shall give you the qualifications to attend Night Raven College as a student!” Crowley looked directly at Yuu. 

_ Ah, yes, of course it was going to come to that. _

“Eh?!?!”

“Headmaster, I can’t use magic— that was the exact reason why I couldn’t be here in the first place,” Yuu reminded calmly. 

“I am well aware. Of course, there is a condition. As you cannot use magic, you will not be able to become a wizard nor will you be able to complete all of your lessons. This is where Grim-kun comes in,” Crowley turned his attention to Grim. “You have proven to be that you possess enough talent to become a wizard. Therefore, I shall allow the two of you to enroll as one student!”

“I—I can go to this academy as a student..?” Grim was surprised.

“Yes! But— you better never let an incident like yesterday occur again! Do we have an agreement?”

Yuu could tell that Grim wasn’t really even listening anymore. She crouched down to pick him up again and smiled, “Isn't that great, Grim?” 

Grim raised his arms up in excitement, “YEAHHHH!! I did it!!”

“Well now, I shall give the symbol of your status as a student of Night Raven College, a magic crystal, to Grim.”

“A magic crystal?” Grim looked at the jewel that was attached onto the collar he had around his neck. 

“Students usually have their magic crystals in a form of a magical pen, but it would be difficult to grab onto with those paws. Ahh, I even pay attention to such small details— just how gracious am I?” Crowley started to praise himself again.

Grim went off about his new collar. As expected, Crowley pushed the responsibility of supervising Grim to prevent him from causing more trouble. 

“That’s amazing! School just started and you’re already a supervisor!” Ace grinned. 

“I see, there’s really only the two of you in your dorm,” Deuce murmured. “So if you’re in charge of monitoring Grim, you’re technically the Dorm Prefect.” 

“Isn’t this the first? To have a prefect who can’t use magic,” Ace contemplated a little. “That’s cool. A prefect who can’t use magic!” 

Yuu just chuckled shyly in response. 

“Hmm, a prefect? I do have a work request so having the title of Prefect would be convenient! Wonderful! Prefect, I will entrust you with this.”

Yuu set Grim down onto the ground and accepted the Polaroid-looking camera that Crowley held out to her. 

“This is nicknamed the ‘ghost camera.’”

The camera was an old magic tool that had a very special spell casted upon it. It could capture both a subject’s form and a part of their soul. The souls of the photographer and the photographed become deeply connected and the memory in the photo comes jumping out, hence “ghost photography.” Depending on how close the subject and the photographer are, the picture could move like a video or bring the situation in the photo to life. 

Yuu was entrusted with the camera in order to take photos of Grim and other students to leave behind memories of their lives within the academy. Especially when someone steps out of line.

She thanked him for his graciousness, and he dismissed everyone to get some rest. 

As they were walking back to the dorms, Yuu happily listened to the friendly banter between Deuce and Ace. Despite their previous animosity, they made a good duo. She freed her hair from its restraint, allowing the long, inky strands to fall freely around her. 

“Your hair is really long,” Ace commented. 

“Ah, yeah, it is pretty long,” Yuu never really thought about the length of her hair— it felt like it had always been this long. 

“Why don’t you cut it? It looks like it would be unbearable during summer,” Deuce asked, curious. 

“Ahh, in my country, cutting one’s hair is worse than losing one’s life, as our hair is also something that has been gifted to us by our parents. That being said, you can cut it if it’s for maintenance or it’s an emergency— but there’s a certain ceremony that needs to be done with the hair afterwards,” Yuu explained. “I like my hair anyways, I wouldn’t want to cut it.” 

Grim jumped onto her shoulder, pushing away her hair so that he wouldn’t grip onto it and accidentally slice it. 

“Anyways, see you tomorrow,” Yuu bid the two goodnight. 

“See you tomorrow, Prefect,” Ace waved and they took their separate ways, with Grim rambling on about the start of their exciting student life. 

～～～～～～～

When they got back to Ramshackle Dorm, there were a few bags on the table in the lounge area. Yuu shut and locked the door before turning on the lights and heading over to the table to inspect the items. In the plastic bag were two containers of food, one for each of them. In the cloth bag were Yuu’s uniforms, along with a letter that explained how classes worked. 

Yuu decided to do some more cleaning before she ate and then took a shower. It was late, and she was tired, but the dorm wasn’t going to clean itself. She cleaned the bedroom and hallway more thoroughly, before sitting down on the couch in the lounge and eating her meal. She gave some of her portion to Grim, her appetite wasn’t really there since it was late. She cleaned up after dinner and then went to the bathroom to shower and get ready for bed. 

Grim curled up beside her after she settled in the bed, and they both fell asleep within seconds. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re done with the prologue chapters! Now we can move on to the next arc~ Yay~


	4. The Queen of Hearts’ Tyranny

Yuu found herself staring at a familiar yet unfamiliar scene. Like she had seen it before, but it was a long time ago. A feeling of nostalgia. 

The scene she was watching was one that had a tree whose leaves created a heart shape and had white roses blooming on it. Card soldiers were hastily painting the white roses red. 

“Hurry and paint the roses red!” The soldiers urged.

“Hurry before the flowers wither!” They grunted. One by one, the white roses were dyed a lovely crimson.

“Hurry, hurry! We must paint them all red!” The Ace of Clovers exclaimed as he brushed the flowers. 

_ Paint the roses? _

“Why do you have to paint the white roses red?” A young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, Alice, asked innocently. 

“Huh?” The card soldiers looked at the young girl. 

“Why, you ask?” The Two of Clovers responded. “We made a mistake and grew white roses. The Queen loves red! If she sees the white roses, she’ll have our heads!” 

Alice was bewildered by the statement, “Is that so?” She ran over to the other tree the soldiers were painting. 

The Three of Clovers nodded, “That's right— that’s why we’re painting the roses!”

The scene faded into darkness after that. 

Finally, Yuu managed to speak up, “Where am I..?” 

She stared at the mirror in front of her, but nothing responded to her question. 

～～～～～～～

Yuu woke up from the strange dream as she heard someone knocking. 

“Is someone knocking on the door?” Yuu murmured as she shuffled in the sheets. 

“Mmnya...Hey… It sounds like we have a late night visitor,” Grim grumbled half-asleep, barely bothering to open his eyes.

Another knock. 

“What? Is it those ghosts again? They seriously don’t know when to quit…”

It was a bit chilly so Yuu grabbed something to wrap around her shoulders before she picked Grim up from the bed. 

“Let’s go see who it is,” Yuu cooed softly at the sleepy creature who just snuggled up against her, absorbing her body heat. 

She slowly walked down the hallway, heading towards the entrance. 

“Yes~ who is it~?” Yuu asked as she put her hand around the handle of the door.

“...It’s me, Ace. Let me in,” A familiar voice responded from the other side, and Yuu opened the door.

“Ace? What are you doing this late— Gyeh! You have a collar!” Grim choked when he saw Ace’s appearance.

A heart shaped collar was around Ace’s neck. Yuu stepped aside to let their late night guest in. 

“I’m never going back to Heartslabyul. Starting from today, I’m joining your dorm!” Ace scowled. 

“What?!” Grim and Yuu squawked at Ace. 

_ What happened?!  _

～～～～～～～

They all settled down in the lounge before they started talking about what happened.

“That collar is the same one that was put on me by that upperclassman with red hair during the entrance ceremony. Why do you have something like that on?” Grim started the conversation as he sat in Yuu’s lap. 

“I ate a tart,” Ace mumbled.

“Mm? A tart?” Yuu repeated. 

“Yes, a tart!” Ace scowled once again, though it leaned towards a pout rather than a scowl. “I was hungry when I got back to the dorm so I checked the fridge in the kitchen and there were tarts chilling inside. There were three whole tarts! So…” 

He summarized what had occurred before he ran away from the Heartslabyul Dorm. He had eaten a tart, was caught by the dorm leader whose name was Riddle Rosehearts apparently, was declared a thief and had the collar casted on him. 

“The end,” he ended the story. 

“You’re both in the wrong,” Grim took the words right out of Yuu’s mouth before she said anything. 

“Don’t you think it’s going a little too far to seal my magic for a tart?! For a magician, it’s the same has getting my hands and feet tied up! Plus, he can’t possibly eat three whole tarts himself! There’s a little of how narrow minded he can be!” Ace rambled on. 

“Well…, binding your magic might’ve been a little overboard, but he could’ve had his own reasons,” Yuu tried to take a neutral stance on the situation, though Ace appeared to be displeased with her response. 

“Ah! If there were three whole tarts, they could’ve been prepared for a party! Like a birthday party! I’m so good at deduction!” Grim grinned proudly as he reached a possible conclusion.

“Birthday?” Ace scrunched his face up. 

“In any case, did you apologize to him?” Yuu asked gently.

“I came right after that happened, I thought you would be more agreeable about the Dorm Leader being a tyrant,” Ace mumbles. 

“He was being a bit tyrannical, but..”

“It’s also your fault for eating his food,” Grim reminded. 

“Let’s go apologize to him tomorrow, alright?” Yuu suggested. 

“Grudges over food are scary,” Grim agreed. “Ah! I haven’t received my canned tuna from the Headmaster!” 

Ace sighed, “Alright, alright. I just have to apologize, right? Since you suggested it, you better come with me, Prefect..” 

“Of course,” Yuu nodded her head. 

“In the meantime, where can I sleep?” Ace’s mood shot right back up to cheerful.

“You’re really going to stay the night?” Grim grunted. “All of the other rooms aside from ours haven’t been cleaned, if you’re gunna sleep here, you're going to have to clean one up yourself.”

Ace stuck his tongue out, “Ugh— I don’t wanna clean! Prefect~~ I’m pretty slender so I won’t take up much space so let me stay in your room, please~?”

“Sure, I don’t mind if you use the bed, it’s just that you’ll be sleeping with Grim,” Yuu smiled. 

“Eh—,” Ace didn’t expect her to agree, by the expression he was making. “I was just kidding—.”

“Go and sleep in the room, you have a long day tomorrow,” Yuu shooed the male and the feline away. “I want to stay up a bit longer, don’t mind me.”

Seeing that she wasn’t going to let them change her mind, they both went to the only clean bedroom in the dorm while Yuu still lingered in the lounge. 

She looked out the large window and saw a deer. It was a stag, with gorgeous antlers and fur. It resembled a white-tailed deer. 

She found herself leaving the dorm to approach the deer, who simply stood there, as though it was waiting for her. Yuu made sure to stay within the stag’s eyesight, and made sure to keep some distance between them. She then held her arm out, and the deer slowly approached. 

It let her pet its head and even touch its antlers. She was careful, and the deer was patient. 

“Hello lovely, why are you here?” She whispered, though she didn’t receive a response. She wasn’t expecting one, so she didn’t mind. “Haha, thank you for letting me pet you. Your fur is so soft.” 

Eventually, Yuu grew tired enough to return to the dorm. It was getting really late. The deer stayed until she was in the lounge, getting ready to lay down and rest. Only after that, did it prance off like it had never been there in the first place. 

“ _ My name is Jun,” _ she heard a voice just before her conscious slipped into the abyss. 

～～～～～～～

Yuu woke up with the sun, opening her eyes as light started to enter into the room through the windows. She felt oddly refreshed despite having her sleep disturbed. She stretched her body a bit before walking towards the bedroom that Ace and Grim were in. 

The duo was sound asleep, not even waking up to the creaky door. She grabbed her school uniform before walking over to the bed to check on those two occupying her bed. 

She brushed away the hair that was on Ace’s face and gave Grim a loving pat on the head before heading over to the bathroom to take a shower. 

She scrubbed her hair clean, and this was the only time she despised the length of her hair. It always took too much time to wash, but there was nothing more rewarding than silky locks of hair without a single tangle. 

Yuu continued to towel-dry her hair when she came out of the bathroom and headed towards the bedroom. To check on the two again, who were still asleep. There was quite some time before classes started, so she decided to let them rest for a while. She left the towel on the chair before leaving the room. 

She went back to the lounge to sit down and relax a little, idly combing her damp hair with her fingers. She did this until someone started violently knocking on the door. Yuu went to the entrance hall. 

“Who is it?” She asked as she opened the door, and smiled pleasantly when it was Deuce. “Ah, good morning, Deuce-san.” 

“Good morning, Prefect,” Deuce returned the greeting. “Did Ace come here last night?”

“Yes, come in, I’ll go and wake them up,” Yuu invited the other Heartslabyul freshman into the dorm before heading to the bedroom. 

“Grim, Ace-san, wake up,” Yuu prodded softly, since she didn’t know how Ace would react to being woken up. She shook his shoulder gently, and he groaned. “Come on, we have class today and don’t you want the collar off of you as soon as possible?” 

“Fine…,” Ace grumbled and opened his eyes. 

He didn’t expect Yuu to ruffle his head affectionately. She moved on to persuade Grim to wake up, petting his body and rubbing his cheeks. 

“I knew I’d find you here,” Deuce sighed when he saw Ace stumbling into the lounge, where he was waiting.

“D-Deuce,” Ace winced when he saw the blue-head. 

“I heard the situation from our dorm mates. You are the Dorm Leader’s tart, so you got collared. You’re really an idiot, aren’t you?” Deuce exasperated. 

“Shut up! I don’t want to be called an idiot by you!” Ace groaned. “So...is the Dorm Leader still mad at me?”

“Not really— he’s just in an irritated mood and it led three people who didn’t follow the waking up routine to suffer the same fate as you.”

“‘ _ Not really,’  _ my ass! He’s fuming!”

Yuu managed to pull Grim out of the bed as the two finished their conversation and got ready to leave the dorm. She had also braided her hair and tied it with a white ribbon. She was dressed immaculately, not a single wrinkle present. 

“Let’s get going?” She suggested. 

～～～～～～～

“Hey! Step aside, step aside!” Grim cheered, unable to contain his excitement. “I, a full-fledged Night Raven College student, is passing through!”

“Look at my collar! It’s so much more awesome compared to yours!” Grim sneered as he looked over at Ace. “You can’t use your magic now, can you?! Guess you have to clean the school as a part of your chores of something? Nyahaha! This is great!!” 

Yuu picked Grim up off the ground, “Hey now, be careful, you’ll get hurt if you’re not watching where you’re going. Don’t rub salt on other’s wounds either, Ace-san is just a little pitiful right now.” 

“You better remember this when I get my magic back!” Ace grumbled— as he’s been doing for the past eight or so hours. 

“The Headmaster scolded you for causing a ruckus yesterday, don’t make matters worse by causing another one,” Deuce chided. “In any case, you won’t be able to participate in class since your magic has been sealed. Why don’t you go and apologize to Dorm Leader Rosehearts so he can take it off?”

“Dammit..!” Ace pouted. “I don’t want to..!”

“I promised to go with you, so we’ll go together, alright?” Yuu tried to soothe Ace’s nerves, though it seemed to be futile. 

“We still have time before class! Plus, I’m interested in the other dormitories so let’s go observe Ace’s apology!” Grim was terribly amused by the whole situation.

“I’m not some kind of exhibit, dammit!!” Ace practically shrieked in despair. It only made it all the more amusing for Grim and Deuce, while electing more pity from Yuu.    
  


_ This was only the beginning. _


End file.
